Wheel.



PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

R. C. SAYER.

WHEEL.

.APPLIUATION FILED sBPT..15. 19'02.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED APE. 5, 1904. R. C. SAYER.

WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No MODE-L.

D IU.. Ill'.

y. J JJI,

in: mums mms no. vuoluumo.. wnmmuuu. n c.

PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

R. C. SAYER.

WHEEL.

APPLIoATIoN HLBD SEPT. 15, 1902.

s'sHEBTs-SHBBT a.

N0 MODEL.

No. 756,290. 4 PATENTED APR.'5, 1904. R. G. SAYER.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1902.

H0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Z1? ZG @a mwa-ALJ PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

R. C. SAYER.

WHEEL.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 1s, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5- NO MODEL.

Jaw/L PATENTED APE. 5, 1904. R. o. SAYER.

WHEEL.

APPLIOATION FILED sBPT.15, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

\ ZI/IZOZ Patented April 5, 1904.*

UNiTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT COOKE SAYER, OF BRISTOL, ENGLAND. i

WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,290, dated April 5, 1904.

Application filed September 15, 1902. Serial No. 123,547. (No model.)

To all whom it may cmecern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT COOKE SAYER, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 11 Clyde road, Redland,Bris tol, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this -invention is to construct wheels in such a manner that whether in motion or stationary their diameters may be varied by fluid, Jfoot, or hand pressure, and so that they may also be used as free wheels. It is applicable to wheels of all classes whether for stationary or locomotive machinery.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is in part a section from A to B at D E, Fig. 2, sectional elevation from B to C and to A without ribs at F Gr, Fig. 2, of a wheel having a straight tire when at its greatest diameter. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation at I-I I-I, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is in part a developed plan from A to B, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the same when eX- panded. Fig. 5 is a section at J J, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section at K K, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a section at L L, Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section at M M, Fig; 2. Fig. 9 is a section at N N, Fig. 2, to a larger scale. Fig. l() is in part a sectional elevation at O O, Fig. 11, of a wheel having a spiral tire at its greatest diameter. Fig. 11 is in part a plan of Fig. 10, showing a portion of the tire developed. Fig. 12 is in part a sectional elevation at P P, Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a section at Q Q, Fig. 10. Fig. 14 is a portion of the hollow shaft and screw, Fig. 10, in section at R R, Fig. 15. Fig. 15

is a section at S S, Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is in part a sectional elevation of a wheel having a spi- ;ral tire at its greatest diameter actuated by iiuidfpressure regulated by hand at T T, Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is in part asectional elevation at U U, Fig. 16. Fig. 18 is a section at V V, Fig. 16. Fig.4 19 is a section of an alternative tire at W WV, Fig. 21. Fig. 2Ov is a section developed at X X, Fig. 19. Fig. 21 is aplan of the tire-tubes. Fig. 22 is a section at Y Y, Fig. 19. Fig. 23 is a section of an `alterna- 4 which slide on the plates d.

tive tire at Z Z, Fig. 24; Fig. 24, a section developed at Z Z", Fig. 23; Fig. 25, a section developed at Z1 2b, Fig. 23; and Fig. 26 asection developed at Zc re, Fig. 23. Fig. 27 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 2. Fig. 28 is a section at sd ad, Fig. 27; and Fig. 29 is a section at ze ze, Fig. 27. Fig. 30 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 16; and Fig. 31 is a section at eraf, Fig. 30.

The wheel Z, shown in Figs. 1 to 9, is formed with jointed spokes. Its tire a, as shown in Figs. l'to 3, is at its smallest diameter. The tire a consists of an elastic tube having thin spring-plates a2, Fig. 3, or a may spokes c are hinged to the collar b2 by the ring 514. The other ends of the ribs 0 are hinged to serrated plates Z by means of the bolts c2 and ears di, Figs. 3 and 5. The plates d contain slots cl2, sliding on bolts a3, Fig. 3, when the wheel is contracted or eX- panded in diameter. Besides the plates cl there is another set, (marked f, Figs. 1, 3, 4,) Bolts f3 are fixed to the tire a, pass through and are able to rotate in the serrated plates f, and form axes for the links g. It will be seen that the ends of the links g hinge on the bolts a3, and hence if pressure is applied (by means described below) tending to increase the diameter of the wheelwthat is, to alter the shape from that shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4-the tendency is for the links g to straighten themselves and become parallel to the periphery of the wheel. The plates f have recesses f2, which encircle the bolts a3 when the wheelis at its smallest diameter. To one of the bolts n3 is hinged the piston-rod Lef, working in the double acting cylinder e, Figs. 1 and 2. The cylinder is supplied with pressure or exhausted by means of tubes c2 and e3 and suitable taps or valves. (Not shown.) It will be seen that by sliding one or more of the bolts a3 along a slot Z2 by means of the piston-rod cA1 the plates d and f will be caused to slide one on the other, and hence the dithis screw.

-in the interior of the screw-spindle.

ameter of the wheel will be increased or decreased. The hollow axle Figs. 2, 7, 9, contains a right and left handed hollow screw and spindle /L running right through it centrally. Cranks are fixed at each end of The screw -spindle is held by nuts 7b2 at each end. The cranks are keyed to the spindle by the keys 7a3, Fig. 9. The crank is slotted at h5, Fig. 9, to receive the lever j, mounted on the pin f2. This lever passes through a slot, as shown, in the hollow screw-spindle and is connected to a lin lj3 ee Fig. 2.) This link is connected to a key 7c, Figs. 2' and 7, which slides in slots in the screw-spindle. Hence it will be clear that the key /c may be made to move laterally along by depressing the lever j'. From Fig. 7 it will be seen that the ends and 7a3 of the key la terminate in slots formed inside the hollow axle b. These slots form keyways of given length, and hence when the key c is in such a position that its end engages these slots the rotation of the crank causes the axle Z) to rotate, and hence the wheel e. Now if' the lever j be depressed the key Z6 is moved along, so as to disengage from the slots fixed to the interior of 7), and hence the cranks may rotate without rotating the wheel, or,vice versa, forming a free wheel arrangement. A spring Zis arranged so as to bring the key back to its original or engaging position when pressure is removed from j, and hence by synchronizing the revolutions of /i and the two shafts may be made to rengage. The arrangement of the key 7c for rotating the axle I) is to suit the wheel illustrated; but for other wheels it is constructed to suit the size ofl the wheel and power used.

The axle b may be solid, the key in the form of a piston 7c, Figs. 30 and 31, operated either way in a cylinder c c, regulated like but by a separate tap p, the pistons 06 ofl the wheel a, or by the same tap 2J, as shown, provided with passages c c2 and c c3, and having a third position dotted on Fig. 8O to cut off the cylinders c and actuate the piston 7c and key 7c.

v The shaft (see Figs. 10 to 15) is adapted to the drawings to a modified wheel Z, but is equally applicable to that shown in Fig. 2. It carries screwnuts 0 02, Figs. 10 to 14. Bolts 03 pass between these nuts and also through the slots b in the axle. These bolts are secured to collars b2, so that if the nuts are prevented from rotating by suitable means the collars b2 will slide along the axis. The nuts 0 02 are prevented from rotating by the locking-straps o4 05, Figs. 8 and 15, which pass through the nuts 0 02. These straps are extended and connected together to form adisk 06, Figs. 8 and 11. This disk is provided with teeth 07, Fig. 8, and normally rotates with the axle band cranks if; but when the key 7c is in the position Fig. 2, its motions are conlined to those of the shaft 7L, crank if, and attached parts; but when the leverj is thrust over farther the key k is drawn by the link jg to the position h5, Fig. 2, beyond the lockstraps 04 05 and disk 06, Fig. 8. i

The bearing m, Figs. 2, 7, and 8, has a keyway with a key n, in whichit is connected to and secured in place by the sides of an annular slot n2, in which is carried the cud or cuds of a link n3, the other end of which is hinged at4 nl, Fig. 2, to the lever j and passes between the ears jon the crank to rotate it. The lever j draws over the link n3 and the slot n2, also the key n, which being wedge-shaped at the end passes between a pair of similarlyformed teeth 07 and locks the disk 06 to the fixed bearing m, Fig. 2, which bv the lockingstraps 04 05 prevents the nu ts 0 0" from turning when the crank is turned in either direction to rotate the shaft t. Hence the collars b2 are caused to slide along the axle I), and the ribs c are caused to assume a more or less vertical position, according to the direction of sliding of b2, and the 4diameter of the wheel is increased or decreased. When the lever j is released, the spring Z causes the key 7c to return to its original position. In order that the hinges 3 c2 and the ribs o may not suffer by torsional strains, alternate ribs c have intermediate ribs c3, Fig. 1, hinged to them'by fixed hinges of, the other ends of c3 being hingedto collars c5, able to slide upon the other intermediate ribs o. The ribs c3 are at a sufcient angle to the ribs c when at their greatest expansion to insure that c5 will slide readily.

A further example of the application of the invention is shown in Figs. 10 to 15. In this case the tire o is of zigzag or spiral shape when it is at its greatest diameter. The tire is carried by plates 42, suitably shaped, and is' held by means of rivets to clamp it between the plates a2. The rivets also pass through the iiattened end of the bolts f 3. This bolt f3 is capable of turning between the plates di, Figs. 12 and 13. The ribs or spokes c hinge between the plates d* on bolts 02 on either side of' the central bolt f3. The wheel 2 is carried, as in the previous example, by the hollow axle b, rotating in bearings m and m2. The arrangement of hinged ribs or spokes is similar to that previously described. The position which these ribs assume when the wheel a is at its smallest diameter is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 10, the full lines showing it at its greatest diameter. The diameter is varied by means of the screw 7L, (in the hollow shaft) passing through the nuts 0 and 02, operated by the wheel f5. It will be easily seen that if the screw is rotated, the nuts o and 02, and hence the collars Z22, sliding in the slots 56, will approach or recede from one another, according to the direction of rotation of the screw, and hence the diameter of the wheel will be varied. The plates a2 accommodate IOO IIO

themselves to the increased diameter of the wheel by being I drawn from a spiral to a straighter, but not straight, course and to the decrease in diameter by increasing the spirality of the tire.

Figs. 16 to 18 show the previously-described Wheel s modified so that fluid-pressure mayv be used :for varying the diameter. For this purpose the ribs c are formed as cylinders having pistons 06. The pistons are fitted with tubular piston-rods for the purpose of supplying pressure to or exhausting the cylinders. The piston-rod consists of two concentric tubes c7 c3, the internal tube 08 being of smaller external diameter than the internal diameter of' the external tube c7, thus forming the passage c between the tubes. This passage forms the inlet or outlet to the under or piston-rod side of the piston, the passage 01 through the tube 08 forming the passage to the other side of the piston. The tubular piston-rod is xed to the piece b3 hinging on the ring H, Figs. 16 and 17. This piece b3 contains ports which communicate with the passages c and el". The piece b3 seats in a block 62, fixed to the axle and arrangedso that in all positions of' 3 the passages o and 01 connect by means of the chamber b and passage Z213 and the chamber u and passage 612 and the two-way tap or valve p. The cylinder c on he right-hand side of the vertical center line ias its passage 09 connecting to the tap p by means of' the chamber bs, tube 67, chamber and passage 613. It will be seen that the axle Z) is divided into the three chambers 5G Z2 68 by the diaphragm If 61. The pipe p2 conveys the pressure to, and the pipe 03 carries away the exhaust from, the valve p. The ribs or spokes may also be formed of cylinder and pistons fixed vertically. The valve jo is carried on the bearing m by the bolts m3, by means of' which any wear of' the balls q may be adjusted, the packing q2 and g3 being compressible. The wheel a is shown at its greater diameter. If it be desired to reduce the diameter, the valve p is set as shown and pressure supplied from the pipe p2 through the passage p* and 613, b, b?, Z, and o to the piston-rod side of the piston in any number of cylinders c and exhausted from the other side of' the pistons by 01, b, 612, p5, and p3. If the diameter is to be increased, the valve 2J is turned ninety degrees in a clockwise direction. Then the passages c1 will be supplied with pressure and passages 09 will exhaust. It will be noticed that the cylinders c are hinged at c2 and are fitted with the usual packing-glands c, adjusted by bolts c.

Figs. 19 to 22 show a modification for the tire of' a wheel .a able to be lengthened or shortened by the above wheels, where a is the tube, not necessarily pressure-tight, formed by the parts a and ab straight on plan, to telescope and slide within one another, and connected by the bolts a3, that slide in slots Z2 in ab a, having elastic or other covers a2, carried by a3 on consols d and ears c2 to connect with the ribs c, Figs. 3 and 4. j

Figs. 23 to 26 show a modification for the tire t able to be lengthened similarly to the latter, where the tire a is built up of any number of sandwiched series of' parts a ab,

slotted at Z2 for the bolts co3 and having ears c2, as above.

A wheel constructed as described is useful, for example, in a dog-cart, and by its use the vehicle can be raised farther from the ground by enlarging' the diameter of its Wheels, and thus render the dog-cart more adaptable to animals of different sizes. Again, by enlarging or reducing the diameter of one of the wheels the vehicle could be steered round curves, &c., and the center of gravity of the load could also be adj usted by this means, thus preventing the cart from rolling over tangentially. The wheel is also applicable to roadvehicles driven by gearing for the purpose of varying the gear, the diameter of the supporting part being enlarged, while the gear remains the same, thus altering the effective gear.

I claim*- 1. Ahub, aperiphery of overlapping plates, a tire with an expansible and contractible circumferential periphery, links forming spokes connecting the plates to the hub, means for adjusting the links and thus the diameter ofl the periphery.

2. A hub, a periphery of overlapping plates, a tire with an expansible and contractible circumferential periphery, links forming spokes connecting the plates to the hub, means for adjusting the links and thus the diameter of the periphery, cranks for rotating the Wheel, a screw-spindle, nuts, levers and sliding keys in combination with the cranks for adjusting the spokes by means of collars sliding on the axle and providing a free-wheel arrangement substantially as described.

y 3. A hub, a periphery of plates, a tire, a spindle, nuts and axle, in combination with a crank for rotating the spindle, collars or keys adapted to be connected or disconnected from the spindle or axle and provide a free wheel.

4. A hub, a periphery of overlapping plates, a tire with an expansible and contractible circumferential periphery, links forming spokes connecting the plates to the hub, means for adjusting the links and thus the diameter of the periphery, cranks for rotating the wheel, a piston and Vcylinder supplied with fluid under pressure or exhausted for varying the diameter of the periphery by operating on the links, substantially as described.

5. Ahub, aperiphery of overlapping plates, a tire with an expansible and contractible circumferential periphery, links forming spokes connecting the plates to the hub, means for IOO IlO

adjusting the linksl and thus the diameter of 'the periphery, links formed as cylinder and piston for varying the diameter of the periphery, a tubular piston-rod for conveying fluid-pressure to the cylinders, a hollow axle containing passages and ports for the conveyance of the uid under pressure to the passages in the piston-rods, substantially as described.

6. Ahub, aperiphery of overlapping plates, a tire With an eXpansible and contractible circumferential periphery, links forming spokes connecting the plates to the hub, means for adjusting the links and thus the diameter of the periphery, and means for strengthening the links 'by attaching one end of intermediate or alternate links to alternate links of the Wheel by hinges Xed to the links, the other end of the hinges being iXed to hinged collars sliding on the next link substantially as described.

In testimony `whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses. A

ROBERT'COOKE sAYER.

Witnesses:

LIONEL A. WILsoN, CHARLES E. RIoKETTs. 

